Making sense of integrated care in New Zealand

Integrated care is becoming a significant feature of New Zealand's current health system. Initiatives to date focus on service coordination or devolution of purchasing, which may be viewed as complementary approaches aimed at meeting a common goal of improving services. They are, however, likely to yield different benefits and pose different risks. This article outlines the background to current integrated care developments in New Zealand and offers a conceptual framework for distinguishing the approaches adopted. It also discusses a number of practical issues that will need to be addressed as such initiatives evolve, and considers some of the factors that need to be taken into account when considering where health care purchasing decisions are best made.